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How to use a BBQ grill mat on the bars

Updated: 23 October 2026

You have a non-stick sheet and a gas or charcoal barbecue. The first cook goes wrong when the sheet sits in a flame, a knife crosses it, or fat pools until it spills. This is how to use a BBQ grill mat that is a PTFE cooking sheet: on the grate, never in the fire, and off the barbecue if the coating starts to shed. The [grill mat comparison](/hub/grill-accessories/grill-mat) is where the packs differ on size, dishwasher marks, and heat lines. This page does not rank them. Nothing here sets one Celsius limit for every listing. A floor pad is a different object. Do not cook on it.

You have a non-stick sheet and a gas or charcoal barbecue. The first cook goes wrong when the sheet sits in a flame, a knife crosses it, or fat pools until it spills.

Our top picks

Lukata Lukata 3-pack, 50 × 40 cm

Best overall

Lukata Lukata 3-pack, 50 × 40 cm
8.7/10about £10.85
View offer
Ankier Ankier 8-pack, 40 × 33 cm

Alternative

Ankier Ankier 8-pack, 40 × 33 cm
7.8/10about £11.99
View offer
GQC GQC 6-pack, 40 × 33 cm

Best value

GQC GQC 6-pack, 40 × 33 cm
8.5/10about £8.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Put it on the bars, not in the fire
  2. 2.Food, fat, and tools
  3. 3.Cool it, then wash it the way that listing allows
  4. 4.When the sheet is finished

Put it on the bars, not in the fire

Preheat with the sheet off while flame is on the bars. Lukata’s note is preheat, then food on the mat, which means a hot grate, not the fire. On gas, wait until the burners settle, then lay the sheet flat. A sheet between burners, or on a flavour bar, is in the wrong place. The sheet stays on the grate. On charcoal, wait until the flames have died and the coals are grey with ash. Do not lay the sheet on the coals. Smokey Rebel’s guide uses that sequence. If your seller says the sheet is not for charcoal, follow that line. Two 40 × 33 cm sheets still leave bare steel for a sear.

Food, fat, and tools

Use wood, plastic, or silicone. Metal tongs and a knife cut the coating, and a GQC review says knife cuts ruin the sheets. Trim only while the sheet is cold. QH7 is the 180 × 40 cm piece people cut into sections. Cutting it hot makes a one-cook liner. Grillaholics notes that grease sits on a solid sheet and a spill off the edge can flare. Dab the excess toward the middle. Move a steak onto the bare bars. Add oil only if your listing says to. Chef Caron’s note for a new sheet is a soft sponge, not a scratch pad.
Lukata Lukata 3-pack, 50 × 40 cm

Testsieger

Lukata Lukata 3-pack, 50 × 40 cm
8.7/10about £10.85
View offer

Cool it, then wash it the way that listing allows

Take the sheet off only once it is cool. Do not run cold water over a hot one. A scratch pad is how the coating leaves the cloth. If the sheet smells sharp, take the food off and take the sheet off. Ankier’s field says no, even though a bullet mentions a top shelf. Cookey, Lukata, both GQC packs, Hongmeru, and QH7 are marked yes. Linda's has a bullet, not a yes or no field. A yes still fails: Cookey reviews include a tear in the wash, and GQC reviews include sheets thrown away. A nicked sheet goes to the sink.

When the sheet is finished

Stop if a sheet smokes with a sharp smell, tears, grows a hole, or leaves black bits on the food. A Cookey review describes a hole where charred sausage built up. A Linda's review found bits of mat on the meat. An Ankier review found black coating in the food. That sheet is finished. Polymer fume fever is why the warning exists. It is not a diagnosis you make at the barbecue. If anyone feels unwell after a smoking sheet, contact NHS 111. One GQC review puts life at about four barbecues, and some QH7 reviews binned a thin piece after one use. Others report a cleaner grate across several cooks. Judge the piece in your hand. A floor pad that has scorched a lawn is a different failure, on under grill mat for decking.

Common questions

Do I preheat the grill before the sheet goes on?
Yes. Keep the sheet off while flame is on the bars. Once the gas has settled, or the charcoal is ashed, lay the sheet on the grate and then add the food. Stay inside the number printed on your pack. There is no single Celsius figure for every listing.
When do the coals count as ready?
When the flames have died and the surface is grey with ash. Put the sheet on the bars, not on the fuel. Homelax, for its own mat, says not to use it on charcoal at all. If your listing says that, follow the listing. If it claims charcoal, the ash test is still the gate.
Can I use metal tongs?
No. Metal tongs, a metal spatula, and a knife cut the coating. A GQC review ties knife cuts to ruined sheets. Use wood, plastic, or silicone. Trim the sheet only when it is cold. A nick while turning fish is how black specks start.
What if fat pools?
Scrape it away from the edge with a silicone spatula so it does not spill into the flame. Do not tip the hot sheet into the fire. If you want a sear, use the bare grate for that piece.
Which packs say dishwasher yes, and which say no?
Ankier is marked no. Cookey, Lukata, both GQC packs, Hongmeru, and QH7 are marked yes. Linda's has a bullet and no yes or no field. Cool the sheet fully, skip scratch pads, and hand-wash a nicked sheet even if the field says yes.
What if black bits appear on the food?
Stop and throw that sheet away. UK reviews report bits of mat for Linda's and black coating for Ankier. Do not scrub it back into service, and do not keep it for an oven shelf. If someone feels unwell after a smoking sheet, contact NHS 111.
Do I oil the sheet?
Only if the seller of the sheet you bought says to. These listings sell the sheets as non-stick, and extra oil becomes more fat on a surface that already pools. If food sticks because the coating has worn, replace the sheet.

Related pages

Grill mat buying guide

Grill mat

Best reusable BBQ mats: which listing fits the job

Under grill mat for decking: patio drips, not turf

Cooking grill mat vs under grill mat: the size test

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars, and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures in the category files.

  1. Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. SI 2012/2619 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. FSA food contact materials authorisation guidance (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. Bake-O-Glide temperature limits (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. HSE PPS13 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. NCBI Polymer Fume Fever (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. Floordirekt Turin listing (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 22.10.2026)